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The Morackulous Thundertone Three ft. Zook Namfoodle
Having agreed to help Goro clean out the Oni incursion, our heroes travel with the samurai Ryoko and her soldiers to the temple of Shoten where they may enter the spirit world. Yorick and Asmundr offer a gold coin each to the temple’s donation box before heading through the portal. Within, they find a mirror image of the temple and valley they just came from, though. It seems to be a warm summer day and the sky has a surreal multicolour hue, while wisps of light and silvery silhouettes pass through the trees. As the soldiers set up camp, Ryoko uses a magic mapping instrument to survey the surroundings. They see the severity of the situation: the Oni are deeply entrenched with several fortresses, facilities, and construction projects set up in the valley. Deciding to split her forces and attempt to capture some of these facilities, Ryoko asks Asmunder to join one of her bear cavalry units so they may quickly make their way to the farms to secure this key location. Meanwhile, Capo, Yorick and Zook insist they be allowed to operate independently and move ahead of the army towards a nearby lumbermill. However, Yorick and company have a different plan: they’ve decided they’ll have no more to do with the wars and conflict of Senro and will make their own way home... by stealing the Kuma transport ship. When out of sight, they break off from the path, leaving behind a decoy campsite that appears to have been victim to a brutal sneak attack, and head into the mountains. They plan to wait overnight for the army to pass their position before sneaking back to the temple. During the night, they find not all spirits in this realm are at peace, and are disturbed from their slumber by the restless, pyromanic spirit of a young man. Capo uses his magic to give the spirit physical form and Yorick uses his water skin to douse the ghostly flame, causing the ghost to flee in a panic. In the morning, they approach the soldier’s camp outside the temple. Zook uses his polymorphing ability to turn into a small sparrow to survey the camp, finding Ryoko and her retinue, plus twenty or so other soldiers still present. Zook is spotted by Ryoko’s owl companion Tami who chases after the sparrow, but zook is able to escape by turning into a snake and scaring the creature off. Yorick, Capo and Gilbur approach the camp under an invisibility spell while Zook once again takes to the skies. Unfortunately, Tami, whose eyes now glow with a blue light, sees through the spell and spots Yorick and Capo approaching, quickly calling Ryoko’s attention. Not willing to face the now alarmed and searching soldiers, Capo quickly uses dimension door to instantly blink the party to the portal entrance within the temple, knocking back the unfortunate soldier standing guard there before hopping through the portal. As if by divine providence, at this time the pyromanic spirit the party encountered last night wails and approaches the camp, sowing confusion and buying them time. Zook grapples briefly with Tami before too teleporting to the portal entrance. With a blinding light spell to hinder any pursuers, Zook breaches the portal. Back in the material plane, Zook attempts to convince the soldiers stationed here that oni are overrunning the camp. Though a few guards are sent thru the portal, the captain seems hesitant and untrusting of the mercenaries. He sends Zook to triage for medical attention. Still invisible, Capo summons a fiendish pony to back Zook’s claims, while he and Yorick make past the remaining guards towards the waiting ship. However, soon soldiers from the opposite side come back through the portal and reveal the mercenaries treachery. Capo and Yorick use their invisibility to easily make it into the ship’s engine room, barricading the entrance and spinning up the spelljamming helm. Zook, caught outside when their ruse was revealed, uses mist form to avoid the soldiers arrows. However the captain proves a skilled magic user and blasts Zook with lightning and flame. Zook makes it onto the ship, but not without some injuries. In a final bid to stop the pirates the Kumadan captain causes vines and roots to burst out of the ground, grabbing onto the ship as it rises from the ground. Capo, at the spelljamming helm, strains every last synapse and magic muscle he’s got to break free from the roots, which tear away a section of the hull, sending one soldier tumbling to the ground outside. Capo hurriedly directs the ship towards the crash site of the skyrunner, but they’re not in the clear yet, there are still a half dozen soldiers on the ship. The soldiers decry the parties lack of honour and evil acts, but try as they might they are unable to break through and Yorick and Gilbur make quick work of the few soldiers that try, leaving behind a bloody mess. In an act of mercy, Yorick is able to find enough feather fall potions in the ship’s supplies for the soldiers to make a safe, if dishonourable, retreat. Fearing they may soon be pursued by Goro’s forces, they stop briefly at the Skyrunner to gather their crew and what supplies they can into the Gero, before leaving the damaged Skyrunner and Senro behind. 'Next Sesstion: 'In which Capo very nearly kills Yorick